27th November, 2025
Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has addressed the controversy surrounding the closure of the Renewed Hope Agenda office located on Ojike Street, Umuahia, refuting allegations that the action was politically driven.
Through a statement released by his Chief Press Secretary, Ukoha Ukoha, Governor Otti clarified that the facility was shut by the state’s Harmonised Task Force during a widespread enforcement operation targeting properties that violated statutory obligations under existing court orders.
The property was among 82 other buildings sealed in Umuahia for similar infractions, with only churches, hospitals, and schools exempted due to their social service roles.
According to official records, ground rent on the property has remained unpaid since 1982, with the lease set to expire on December 31, 2025. The government stated that the property owner failed to respond to multiple demand notices requesting evidence of compliance with ground rent payments and other statutory charges.
Governor Otti disclosed that he ordered the immediate unsealing of the building following intervention by Benjamin Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, who oversees the Renewed Hope Partners campaign structure in the South East region.
The statement emphasized that the enforcement exercise was conducted without regard to political affiliations of property owners. “The unsealing was promptly executed pending the regularisation of the building’s documentation. This enforcement was not politically motivated; rather, it was part of a general exercise targeting properties in default of statutory obligations,” the government explained.
However, Elton Onwu, spokesperson for Renewed Hope Partners, described the sealing as political intimidation, noting that the facility had been abandoned for over three decades before the group renovated it in June 2025. The organization questioned why tax notifications were not sent to previous property owners before their takeover.
The Renewed Hope Agenda office serves as the South East regional headquarters for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 campaign preparations under the All Progressives Congress (APC).